Luxury German & Austrian Alps Walk (Mountains, Lakes & Castles From Salzburg to Munich) 6D5N, Fully Guided

THREE HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 5 km (3 miles), Elevation gain: 61 m (200 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 10 km (6 miles), Elevation gain: 122 m (400 ft)
Level 4, Approx. 11 km (7 miles), Elevation gain: 366 m (1200 ft)

This day, you meet your trip leaders at 9 a.m. at the Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, the main train station in Salzburg, Austria.

Important Note: We will meet at the station’s rear entrance on Lastenstrasse (Lasten Street) between the escalators and the multi-level bicycle parking. (The signs for the entrance say Schallmoos.)

Please arrive dressed in your hiking clothes and bring your luggage and a daypack with your rain gear and anything else you may want for today’s hike (your luggage will be transported to our first night’s accommodation)

After meeting, we board a scenic shuttle south to Berchtesgaden in the German Bavarian Alps, the start of our first hike. Kit up and set out into a mesmerising landscape of verdant valleys and jagged peaks. If you’d prefer a more relaxed start, you can opt for a shuttle boost to the Rossfeld summit via the Panoramatrassee, Germany’s highest road and one of its most scenic. But if you feel like taking on the challenge, set out on the trail and start hiking.

Whichever way you arrive, be sure to keep your cameras in hand when you reach the cross marking Rossfeld’s 5,000-foot summit (1500 metres). From here, fairyland panoramas await. If the weather is favourable, you can see Dachstein Glacier, the Untersberg and Tennengebirge mountain ranges, Salzach Valley, and even all the way to Hitler’s notorious Eagle’s nest. The Sound of Music’s scenes were filmed right where you’re walking.

For an extra challenge, take a detour up to Purtschellerhaus, a rustic wooden building set on the border between Germany and Austria. During stricter times, families and friends from each country would meet each other in the neutral territory inside.

We pause for lunch at a mountain Alm (simple alpine but traditionally used as a resting place) offering awe-inspiring views. The owner is a local farmer who produces homemade goodies like cheese, buttermilk, cured meats, and preserves. Afterward, descend through rolling green pastures where grazing cows and gently clanging cowbells complete the bucolic scene. Continue through open meadows and woodland to trail along the river to the Obersalzberg region.

Head down the valley, passing the site where Hitler’s cottage once stood, a location once frequented by him and his highest advisors. We visit the Obersalzberg Documentation Centre (or “DocuCentre”), a small museum offering insight into the remote mountain region’s history as a retreat area for Third Reich leadership (this was the most important headquarters after Berlin) and the location of a massive complex bunker system designed to protect the highest officials. It might be an intense destination but the history behind it is fascinating. You may take a brief walk around and learn more about this place.

Follow an easy footpath to our home for the night, Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden. Settle into your room at this contemporary 5-star chalet-style hotel before joining your leader for an exclusive wine tasting in the Vinothek, where we raise glasses of Austrian and German vintages to toast the week ahead. Dinner tonight will also be a wonderful affair, where our taste buds will be pampered with a fusion of traditional Bavarian alpine cooking and gourmet cuisine.

TWO HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 2, Approx. 6 km (4 miles), Elevation gain: 183 m (600 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 10 km (6 miles), Elevation gain: 274 m (900 ft)

After a delicious breakfast, we head out to King’s Lake, locally known as Königssee, situated amid a breathtaking mountainous landscape in Bavaria’s Southeast corner. Dubbed as Germany’s deepest and cleaners lake, the area around Königssee has been a popular recreation spot among kings and commoners alike for centuries. The glacier-carved scene is very similar to a dramatic fjord with sheer rock walls rising up on both sides of the long narrow lake.

We board a boat and ride across the lake, allowing us to admire the reflection of the towering peaks of some of Germany’s highest mountains. As we arrive on the opposite shore, follow a well-traversed trail to another scenic lake, Obersee, and on to Germany’s highest waterfall. Then we tour a traditional lakeside Alm where you will see the grazing cows in the surrounding pastures responsible for the tasty cheese you will eat with your lunch this afternoon.

After cruising back to Königssee, we shuttle into Austria’s Tyrol region and arrive at tonight’s 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel in the thriving mediaeval town of Kitzbühel, Hotel Tennerhof. This evening, walk into town for a quick introduction into its history. Afterward, you’re free to choose from Kitzbühel’s many restaurants for dinner on your own and delight in Austrian and international flavours in their award-winning cuisine. Your trip leaders can also point you in the right direction, you can ask them for recommendations.

THREE HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 2, Approx. 10 km (6 miles), Elevation gain: 213 m (700 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 11 km (7 miles), Elevation gain: 427 m (1400 ft)
Level 4, Approx. 19 km (12 miles), Elevation gain: 518 m (1400 ft)

Today is a treat of non-stop breathtaking scenery. Finish up your delicious breakfast and head out on a morning ride on two cable cars, offering marvellous sweeping views of neighbouring valleys, peaks, towns, and villages. Arriving at the top, set out on foot, first passing through the Alpenblumgarten (Alpine Flower Garden), where wildflowers from alpine regions from all over the world are on display. Continue to the Karst Trail, which exposes the unique geology here on the Kitzbüheler Horn.

If you’re up for more hiking, hike to Stuckkogel and Hochetzkogel peaks this morning. Afterward, copy the locals and practise Kneippen, a typical Bavarian/Tyrolean post-hike sensory experience to assuage aches from the tired legs and feet; a special treat before lunch. Head directly to Bichlalm for a delicious lunch coupled with stunning views. Then board an open-air chairlift for the ride back down to Kitzbühel or extend your hike by making your way to the valley floor on foot.

Back at the hotel, sublime options for quality relaxation await. You can choose to indulge in a soothing spa treatment (spa treatments are at own expense). You can also unwind by the poolside or spend time exploring Kitzbühel’s pedestrian-friendly mediaeval centre, filled with inviting shops and galleries. Dinner tonight is at the acclaimed Tennerhof restaurant, where head chef Johannes Denk serves gourmet cuisine combining traditional French delights with regional specialties.

FOUR HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 152 m (500 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 335 m (1100 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 13 km (8 miles), Elevation gain: 305 m (1000 ft)
Level 4, Approx. 16 km (10 miles), Elevation gain: 640 m (2100 ft)

Fuel up with a lovely breakfast this morning to prepare for a big day on the trail. Today’s hike is more than just exceptional scenery but also a dive into spectacular history and culture. We take a shuttle to our trailhead, where we set off on a hike through the Isar valley in the footsteps of pilgrims and mountain goats, then across the Austrian-German border. Continue to Mittenwald by either ascending to a hanging bridge with awe-inspiring views or taking an idyllic walk through the valley, where a waterfall plunges through Leutasch Gorge.

Mittenwald is considered by many to be the prettiest town in Bavaria and it constantly exudes historic charm from its pedestrian-only town centre (the Obermarkt) to its well-preserved 18th-century buildings and frescoes. You’ll be in charge of your lunch today in one of the town’s delectable restaurants.

In the afternoon, you have time to spend in Mittenwald, shopping at the Obermarkt, visiting the violin-making museum, tasting local schnapps and beer, or simply meandering through the lovely streets before shuttling to our next alpine retreat. If you’d like to extend the distance, head deeper into the Leutasch Gorge, a steep-sided wooded gorge carved by a turquoise river. Afterward, a quick shuttle takes you to our alpine retreat for the next two nights, the elegant Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol. A peaceful hotel encompassed by a verdant forest on a high plateau.

Take some time to explore the hotel’s grounds and perhaps indulge in its 5-star amenities; a relaxing swim might be what you need. When you’re ready, dine at your leisure at the hotel’s restaurant.

THREE HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 213 m (700 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 11 km (7 miles), Elevation gain: 366 m (1200 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 14 km (9 miles), Elevation gain: 488 m (1600 ft)

Today we head out along the Seefeld Plateau through a landscape of alpine meadows and jagged peaks. If the weather is favourable, you may even see the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain at around 2,957 metres (9,700 feet) above the sea level. Continue on a mellow trail past an alpine lake (or meadow, depending on snowmelt), then head up to the peak of Brunschkopf, which offers magnificent views of the Karwendel and Wetterstein mountain ranges. Our path follows part of the cross-country ski from the 1964 and 1976 Olympics, and the 2019 Cross Country Ski World Championships.

After filling up with lunch at a family-run lakeside Alm, there’s time to take a dip in the cool mountain waters. Then shuttle back to the hotel or continue the hike along the northern rim of the Inn Valley through more forest and meadow. Not only are the views stunning, but you’ll also be walking an Austrian section of the famous Camino de Santiago, which leads all the way to Spain. You can opt to go further by hiking to Ropferstubn for Kneippen and a Radler (a refreshing mix of beer and lemonade), a perfect Tyrolean way to end a great day of hiking.

We will head back to the hotel, kick back poolside or unwind with a massage at the hotel spa. Tonight we gather for a farewell toast to our Bavarian and Tyrolean adventure before our final dinner together.

TWO HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 2, Approx. 6 km (4 miles), Elevation gain: 213 m (700 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 274 m (900 ft)

After a delicious breakfast, we bid our abode farewell and begin our journey toward Munich. We split up the trip with a stop at famed Schloss Neuschwanstein, which is said to embody the romantic notion of what a castle should be, with its fairy-tale façade and gorgeous mountain backdrop. King Ludwig II of Bavaria grew up in Hohenschwangua, the castle built by his father, Maximilian II, and eventually commissioned the 19th-century Romanesque Revival-style castle to be constructed nearby. If the whimsical architecture seems somehow familiar, it may be because Walt Disney garnered inspiration for his own iconic castle from this impressive edifice. A scenic hike takes us through the surrounding wooded hills to reach the storybook castle's beautiful grounds. From here we head into the quiet forest and alongside an alpine lake where King Ludwig learned to swim.

Lunch today is on a terrace overlooking the lake—the perfect spot for one last photo. After lunch, say farewell to your leaders before boarding the shuttle for the final leg to Munich's train station.

NOTE: This itinerary is provided as an example only – prevailing conditions and local arrangements may cause variation.